Akasa Air on Saturday announced the introduction of a fuel surcharge on its domestic and international routes from March 15, joining the recent announcement made by Air India & IndiGo. The airline said that the surge comes due to the significant increase in the price of aviation turbine fuel, driven by evolving geopolitical developments in the Middle East.
It added "a fuel surcharge will be introduced ranging from Rs 199 to Rs 1300 on domestic and international routes" from March 15. The airline clarified, saying that the fuel surcharge will not be applicable for any bookings made before 00:01 hrs on March 15. "The fuel surcharge will be applied per sector and will vary based on the duration of the flight," the company said.
Air India Imposes Fuel Surcharge
Earlier on Tuesday, Air India said that it will be imposing a fuel surcharge on domestic and international flights on bookings from March 12. In the first phase, the company said it will be levying a charge of Rs 399 on domestic flights and flights to the SAARC nations. Flights to the West Asian nations will face a levy of $10. Earlier, these flights did not face any fuel levy.
The company also increased the fuel levy on flights to Southeast Asia and Africa from $40 and $60 to $60 and $90, respectively. In the second phase, the company will be raising the fuel levy on flights to Europe, North America and Australia from March 18 onwards.
While the fuel levy on flights to Europe will be raised from $100 to $125, flights to North America will face a levy of $200 from an earlier levy of $150. Flights to Australia, which face a levy of $150 now, will have a levy of $200 from March 18.
The company said that the third phase will apply to and from Far East markets, namely Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, which will be announced in due course.
IndiGo Announces Fuel Surcharge
IndiGo said it will charge an additional Rs 425 for the domestic routes and the Indian subcontinent. The surcharge for Middle East routes will be hiked by Rs 900, while for South East Asia, China, Africa and West Asia will see a surcharge of Rs 1,800. Moreover, flights to Europe will get costlier by Rs 2,300.
